Hector Olivera of Cuba, seen six years ago during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, has agreed to a six-year, $62,5 million deal with the Dodgers with an option for a seventh year. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

GLENDALE, Ariz. >> In his short time as the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman has already traded one of baseball’s elite hitters in Matt Kemp — and agreed to pay most of his salary to a division rival this season.

Friedman traded MLB’s leading base-stealer, Dee Gordon, and gave a $10 million contract to pitcher Brett Anderson, who has made only 32 starts since 2010 because of various injuries.

Tuesday, Friedman gave a six-year, $62.5 million contract to an injury-prone Cuban infielder named Hector Olivera, according to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Olivera hasn’t passed his physical yet.

The contract contains a team option for a seventh year (2021) for $1 million, which triggers if Olivera undergoes Tommy John surgery on his balky right elbow. Olivera, who turns 30 on April 5, will be 36 by then.

This may be Friedman’s boldest move yet. Though he could not specifically address Olivera’s contract Tuesday, Friedman defended his off-season staunchly for a man whose club hasn’t won, or played, so much as a regular-season game yet.

“There have been some guys who have signed free-agent wise that we haven’t agreed with,” Friedman said, speaking generally about Cuban players. “There are probably some guys that we’ve signed that others haven’t agreed with. I think it’s what makes the world go around.

“Everyone has different evaluations and thoughts in terms of contract structure. I think that’s good for us, that not all 30 teams are thinking the exact same way. We’re confident in our ability to evaluate talent and figure out what makes sense for us.”

The signing comes two days after the Dodgers agreed to terms with pitcher Pablo Fernandez, another Cuban defector. While Fernandez was a relative unknown on the free-agent market, at least five other teams were linked to Olivera, according to various reports.

In terms of years and dollars, Olivera’s contract represents the most significant commitment to any free agent the Dodgers have made in the Friedman era.

Olivera profiles as a second baseman or third baseman, both potential positions of need for the Dodgers after 2015. Howie Kendrick, 31, and Juan Uribe, 36, are both eligible to become free agents after this season, as is shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

The Dodgers believe they have their shortstop of the future in 20-year-old Corey Seager. Olivera solidifies one of the other two positions; Alex Guerrero, who’s under contract through 2017, could fill the other. Exactly how they all fit into the team’s future is one of many things the Dodgers can use 2015 to figure out.

It’s still unclear if Olivera can have an impact in 2015. He’s made only 273 plate appearances in Cuba (or any country) since 2011 because of injuries and his leaving the communist island. So the Dodgers might decide that Olivera needs daily playing time at the minor-league level before he can join their major-league roster.

In his last full season, 2013, Olivera batted .316 and reached base at a .412 clip while hitting seven home runs in 73 games for Santiago of Serie Nacional.

Once Olivera’s contract is official, the Dodgers will need to find him a place on their 40-man roster. He’s a legal resident of Haiti, and obtaining his U.S. work visa could take time in light of the lengthy delay Angels prospect Roberto Baldoquin faced leaving Haiti.

Olivera also must pass his physical, which has raised varying degrees of concern among interested teams. Yahoo! reported March 5 that “serious concern exists that Olivera has a damaged ulnar collateral ligament.” The Dodgers were concerned enough by this prospect to tack the option year onto the contract.

Tommy John surgery would likely sideline Olivera for the entire 2015 season, in which case he wouldn’t cost the Dodgers a spot on their active roster.

If Olivera is deemed healthy, the Dodgers could give him one of the 40-man roster spots that will become available when pitchers Chris Withrow and Brandon Beachy — currently recovering from Tommy John surgery — are placed on the 60-day disabled list.

But the Dodgers already had a logjam in the infield with Guerrero, Darwin Barney and Justin Turner all vying for playing time behind starters Uribe, Kendrick and Rollins. One of the three could be deemed expendable if and when Olivera passes his physical.

Also

A contrast MRI on Hyun-Jin Ryu’s left shoulder revealed no changes from a 2012 MRI on the same shoulder, the Dodgers announced. The pitcher will be shut down for two weeks, after which he will be re-evaluated. … Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson threw 5 2/3 innings in a Triple-A game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Camelback Ranch. He allowed eight hits, three runs, one walk, struck out six and induced two double-play ground balls. The left-hander threw 79 pitches. … Dodgers right-hander Mike Adams threw one scoreless inning in a Double-A game, needing only 13 pitches to strike out all three batters he faced.

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